Tray for packing eggs



(No Model.)

"NWSGI-IRODER. Tray for Packing Eggs. '-No. 235,575. Patented Dec-[14, I880.

UNirED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

NICHOLAS SOHRODER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TRAY FOR PACKING EGGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,575, dated December 14, 1880.

Application filed November 4, 1880.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS SoHRoDER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Trays for Packing Eggs,which improvement islfully set forth in the following specification.

The invention relates to that class of eggpacking in which cheap pasteboard or strawboard is used in strips standing on edge and crossing each other at right angles, so as to form lodges or compartments, each of the capacity of one egg, the article composed of any number of such crossed strips, usually seven in each of the two sets, constituting what is known as an egg-tray. v

As at first constructed lthe strips were out half across at the points of crossing and then pressed together. This article, however, had to be handled very carefully, as the strips were liable to become detached .i'from each other, and it was found impracticable to use the tray more than once.

In order to prevent the falling apart of the trays the strips have been locked or connected with each other, so that they would keep together when taken hold of by one or by several strips, and thus be enabled to withstand the ordinary handling 1n packing and unpacking. or in folding for shipment or reshipment and unfolding for use. In folding, the two sets of strips close upon each other somewhat after the manner of lazy-tongs.

The means heretofore adopted need not be particularly described.

The object of the present invention is to so construct the strips as to facilitate the assemblage of them, also to render their interlocking very firm and secure; and to this end it consists in forming in the edges of the strips notches with both sides inclined toward the bottom, where they communicate with the elongated openings or slots in the body of the strips byslits which extend pasthooks formed by the elongated openings or slots, so that in forming the tray the cross-strips shall with certainty be guided past the hooks and caused to enter the slots or openings; also, in making the hooks at the entrance to a slot double, with the points facingeach other 3 and alsoin (No model.)

- the union or combination of the parts mentioned in an egg-tray.

In order that theinvention and the manner of carrying the same into effect may be fully understood, it will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an open egg-tray constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2, a view in elevation, illustrating the formation of the strips; and Fig. 3, a view, in vertical section, of part of a tray. Fig. 4: illustrates the more secure form of lock.

The strips are or may be formed alike. They are made of straw'board, as the cheapest ma terial adapted to the purpose and the one commonly employed. This straw-board may be of any suitable thickness, according to the market to be supplied, but would generally run from forty to forty-five to the inch. Each strip is cut at the point where it is crossed by another, so as to receive the latter, and the number of cuts in the strips will therefore correspond with the number of these in each other. Ordinarily, egg-trays being composed of seven strips crossing a like number, there would be seven cuts in each strip. The shape of these cuts is clearly shown. On one edge of the strip is a notch, at, having inclined sides and communicating at the bottom with the slot or elongated opening b by a slit or passage between the hooks c at the outer end of the slot or opening b. This slot or opening extends to the middle line of the strip, or slightly beyond. It is shown as tapering or contracted toward the bottom to about the thickness of the strawboard. Upon the other edge of the strip is a notch, (Z. These cuts are formed in any desirable way, as by machines of ordinary or improved construction, comprising punches with suitably-shaped dies for forming the cuts, and shears for dividing the strips as they are punched, and feeding mechanism for advancing the straw-board to be acted upon by the punches and shears.

For convenience of manufacture the dies are constructed to punch a diamond-shaped hole at the end of the slot or elongated opening b, and the straw-board being divided upon the line 00 by the shears, the notch a is formed on one strip and the notch d on the adjacent one.

In order to assemble the strips they are placed crosswise of each other and forced together, so that the openings 1) in one set of strips inclose the solid parts of those of the other set, and the books c are opposite the lower part of the notches d, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A machine for this purpose has been devised by me, and will form the subject of a separate application.

An attempt to pull apart the strips after bein g forced together is resisted by hooks 0, which catch in the bottom of the notches d. Both sets of strips being provided with hooks 0, each strip is doubly locked where it crosses the several strips of the other set, and a very firm and strong tray is secured. In some cases an offset, 0, is formed on one side of the slot or elongated opening I), as shown in Fig. 4. so-as to keep the crossingstrip under the shoulder of the opposite hook.

The inclined sides of the notch a serve to guide the strips into position in assembling them. The notches d serve to receive the hooks c, and could be replaced by a straight slot or even by a hole. When made as shown, however, they impart a neater and more uniform appearance to the tray.

The improved tray can be folded for packing, in the usual manner.

-It is obvious that the notches a, with both sides inclined toward the bottom, could-be used to guide the cross-strips past a single hook, instead of the double hook at the end of each slot, and this would be in accordance with the first part, although not with the other parts, of this invention, and that the peculiar formation of the look, as described, could be omitted at some crossings, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully explained the said invention and the manner of carrying the same into eli'cct, what I claim is-- 1. A strip for egg-trays, having within the body of the strip slots substantially of the shape indicated, so as to form hooks at the outer end of said slots, and having at the edge notches with both sides inclined toward the bottom and communicating with the slots by ,slits or passages extending past the hooks,

NICHOLAS SGHRODER.

Witnesses JoHN GAVAGNARO, I. DE BEAUVAIS. 

